Agenda item

Sheffield City Council/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Clean Air Zone Programme - Approval To Deliver Rotherham's Air Quality Measures Projects

Cabinet Portfolio: - Waste, Roads and Community Safety     

 

Strategic Directorate: - Regeneration and Environment

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 22 March 2021 regarding the Sheffield City Council/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Clean Air Zone Programme that sought approval for the delivery Rotherham’s Air Quality Measures Projects. The Cabinet Member for Waste, Roads and Community Safety and the Interim Head of Transport Infrastructure attended the meeting to present the report.

 

The report stated that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had published its National Air Quality Plan in July 2017 that had detailed how compliance with the European Union Ambient Air Quality Directive would be delivered in the UK by improving air quality in a number of Local Authority areas. The Local Authorities in areas that were found not to be compliant with the Directive had subsequently been identified through national air quality modelling, with 28 Local Authorities, including Rotherham MBC and Sheffield City Council being identified as areas requiring improvement. Consequently, Sheffield City Council and Rotherham MBC had been jointly mandated to take action on the basis that the Parkway in both Sheffield and Rotherham had been identified as being non-compliant with the required air quality standards.

 

The report stated that the delivery of the full business case to the Government on the actions required to deliver the required improvements to air quality was now underway. However, an initial funding allocation had been confirmed by Government at the outline business case stage that was sufficient for the Council to deliver three key projects that would support the delivery of the targets to reduce N02 levels. The report detailed these proposals and sought approval to proceed with the three schemes, noting that they would be delivered within the 2021-22 Capital Programme.

 

The three projects that were proposed to be delivered were:

 

·       Sheffield Parkway 50mph Speed limit (to be delivered as part of Parkway Widening)

·       Wortley Road Weight Restriction TRO

·       Rawmarsh Hill Bus priority and routing changes

It was noted that the value for delivery of the projects was estimated to be £2.885million, with the projects being funded by Government grants.

 

In introducing the report the Cabinet Member for Waste, Roads and Community Safety noted the impact of the pandemic on the activity around the delivery of the proposed schemes, as well how the long term impact of the pandemic on how people travelled had meant that some of the proposals in the original business case could need be reassessed. The Cabinet Member advised however that the three schemes being proposed for implementation would still make a positive impact on improving air quality, even with reduced levels of traffic.  The Cabinet Member noted further that there would be further consultation on the proposed changes related to the Rawmarsh Hill Bus priority and routing changes.

 

The Chair noted the ongoing role that the Improving Places Select Commission had played throughout the processes that had led to the recommendations being proposed and that this had enabled effective scrutiny to take place throughout the development of the proposals.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for Waste, Roads and Community Safety and the Interim Head of Transport Infrastructure for attending the meeting and presenting the report.

 

Resolved:  -

 

That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.

Supporting documents: